A man accused of killing his 19-year-old girlfriend said he committed the crime in a fit of rage after learning that the woman had had their baby aborted.

A court in the southern province of Adana has begun hearing the trial into the murder of Tuba Genç by her 23-year-old boyfriend, Tahsin Can Bulat, who faces life in prison.

Bulat said he ran away with Genç on two occasions, claiming they went to Antalya on the first instance and had sexual relations. The couple allegedly went to the Marmara province of Sakarya on their second getaway. Bulat said Genç told him that she was pregnant before they departed for Sakarya.

"I started the official procedure for marriage [in Sakarya] once we were there," Bulat said. "[Genç] then returned to Adana, saying her brother was ill and had to stay there for a week. I started worrying after she did not return for two weeks. Her cell phone was turned off as well, so I went to Adana to look for her," Bulat said in court.

The suspect said he met Genç in Adana where she allegedly told him that she had their unborn baby aborted in the fourth month of the pregnancy.

"She also said she was in a relationship with a minibus driver. I do not remember the rest. I learned that I killed her as they made me sign my testimony [in a police station]," Bulat said, adding that he regretted what he had done.

The parents of the victim said Bulat was lying about the abortion and filed a complaint against him. The court decided to ask for an autopsy to be performed on Genç to confirm whether she had had an abortion.

Bulat has been sent to Istanbul for a test to determine his mental health.